[Author's Note:

For the fight scene between Kakuzu and the First Hokage, I role-played with my friend, RisingDemon1. He played as the First Hokage while I played as Kakuzu, but again, only for the fight scene.

Enjoy!]

Konohagakure – June 30, 1948

It took almost a month, but eventually, Kakuzu finally arrived to Konohagakure. To keep from being suspected, he concealed himself with his mask and hid amongst the crowd of visitors from other hidden villages. The ninja of Konohagakure only assumed that he was just another foreign ninja in need of food and shelter, so they welcomed him. After all, during this era, the First Hokage's life had yet to be threatened.

Part of Kakuzu's plan to remain unnoticed was to avoid as much social contact as possible. Keeping to himself was the easy part, but the real challenge was that the people in this village were very friendly. The locals here behaved as though they were family. He could barely even enjoy his tea without the waitress telling him about her life story. She wouldn't stop repeating the same "legendary ramen story" over and over again. He was somewhat tempted to run a kunai through her throat just to shut her up. Unfortunately, he knew it was in his best interest not to do so. Last thing he needed was to cause a scene.

Once he finished his tea, Kakuzu spotted the First Hokage heading towards his office. Good, now he knew where to wait for him till nightfall. Of course, even at night, this village would not be the best scenery for battle. There were too many obstacles in the way. He would have to somehow lure the First Hokage to a more desolate setting.

According to the information that was provided by the Village Elders, the First Hokage possessed a unique jutsu known only to the Senju clan, the wood style jutsu. Kakuzu was familiar with other types of jutsu, so this would be his main challenge. This target of his seemed to be full of challenges. Still, Kakuzu relished in that. Killing for an honest pay was one thing, but when it came to strong shinobi, earning the rewards would feel much more valuable. That is why he was more than willing to accept the offer. Not only was the pay worth it, but so was the challenge.

Paying his bill, Kakuzu avoided tipping the waitress and left. For now, he would act as though he was merely browsing through market stalls and reading random books from here and there. Of course, he never bought anything. He would only continue to wander around town until nightfall, when everyone would be in bed.

While looking around in random market areas, he noticed that a little boy had tripped. The boy then began to wail like a pathetic little worm. It annoyed him that children in this village were so spoiled. He didn't act this way as a child. Then again, he didn't have much of a childhood to begin with. What irked him even more was that the parents came to the brat's rescue instead of disciplining him for his foolishness. Kakuzu knew that if he had behaved this way with his mother, then she wouldn't have lasted as long as she did. Thinking about it, his mother actually did spoil him, and that was what killed her. He balled his hands into fists as they shook, ready to hit anything in its path. Still, instead of doing so, he simply grunted and tried to block the thoughts from his mind. He was supposed to be focused on the mission, after all.

That Night…

After hours of sight-seeing, everything was finally closed and everyone was finally in their beds, well, almost everyone. The last one to leave his office was the First Hokage. He had plenty of papers to complete that night. Normally, he would have headed home by now, but instead, he chose to visit the training grounds nearby. This was rather convenient for those who intended to visit him in private.

He remembered what it was like when he was just a student, learning from his father. Now his children have children of their own. The First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, was excited to finally be a grandfather. Knowing himself well, he'd probably end up spoiling them. He laughed to himself at the thought of that. He even pictured an idea of his grandchildren training on these grounds. He would want to see them grow up to be strong shinobi, but whether that is their path or not, he would still be proud of them either way.

His laughing was soon cut short when he pulled out a kunai and quickly turned to block the kunai from his attacker. As the dark figure pulled back, the moonlight illuminated him, revealing his headband to be that of Takigakure. Judging by that, it could only mean one thing. "I was wondering when you assassins would show up, assuming that is why you're here." Hashirama called out. Seeing as how the First Hokage wasn't a complete imbecile, Kakuzu answered, "Good eye. Yes, that is precisely why I am here."

"In that case, let's make one thing clear…" Hashirama paused for a moment to prepare for battle. He finally finished with, "I am not going down without a fight." Amused by this, Kakuzu prepared for battle as well, but before making his next move, he stated, "If you're prepared, there won't be any sorrow." Kakuzu decided it would be wise to wait for Hashirama's attack. He had never fought against a kage before, so the last thing he needed to do was to charge in head strong, especially under these circumstances. One of Ryutaro's greatest lessons was to know one's enemy before battle, after all.

Hashirama just lowered his kunai a bit whilst waiting for the figure to attack. After a few seconds Hashirama started to tap his left foot on the ground. "Isn't it normal for the assassin to take the initiative?" He said, deadpanning. He knew that it wouldn't be long before the assassinations would start, but at least he expected the first one to be somewhat active.

Kakuzu simply grunted to that. If that's how he wanted to play his cards, then so be it. Kakuzu then aimed his kunai for Hashirama's forehead and threw it as a distraction to lunge his fists straight into the First Hokage's gut. Just because he was a kage didn't mean that he would give him any special treatment. In fact, just for good measure, Kakuzu gave Hashirama an uppercut with the elbow from the opposite arm. He didn't supply any snappy comebacks as the First Hokage did. He simply stood there and asked, "Now will you prove yourself worthy of the title, Hokage?"

Hashirama cracked his neck, swaying his head from one side to the other. Those punches had decent strength behind it. This might get interesting. He looked towards his opponent with a stern look this time. Hashirama lowered his stance, his left foot up front and his kunai ready.

Neglecting the kunai on the ground, Kakuzu pulled out another one from behind him. He too was ready for what was to come. Well, at least he seems to be able to hold his own so far. Let's see how much he can take. He thought to himself as he slid to the left to attack from Hashirama's side, kunai aiming for the jugular vein.

Hashirama blocked the kunai, putting some power behind it and trying to keep them in a deadlock. He just looked the assailant in the eye. "I look that easy to you, huh?" His tone turned cold.

Kakuzu returned the gaze and remained focused on the fight. No more distractions. No more games. It was about time that he fought the way he should against a kage. Swiftly, he swung his left foot towards his opponent as an attempt to knock him down. He then leaped backwards and took note that there was a stream nearby, perfect. Seizing the opportunity, he formed a few hand signs before shouting, "Earth Style: Mud Silhouette!" A wave of mud then rose from the stream and headed straight for Hashirama.

Dodging the kick, Hashirama looked on as the assailant dashed back and formed hand signs. Forming hand signs as well, he shouted "Wood Style: Wood Locking Wall!" Wooden pillars suddenly appeared left and right from the ground, joining together as a dome to protect Hashirama from the wave of mud. He then dashed towards the assailant and threw a barrage of attack, attempting to slow him down.

Drawing his sword now, Kakuzu blocked Hashirama's strikes. So far, he's only managed to receive a cut on his left shoulder. It was merely a surface wound, so it wasn't enough to slow him down. He simply brushed it off and lunged towards the First Hokage with one elbow back and the tip of the blade gliding closer to the target's heart.

Trying to distract the assailant, it didn't long before Hashirama was stabbed through the chest, only to reveal that he was merely a wood clone. However, that was all the time Hashirama needed. "Wood Style: Wood Dragon Jutsu!" he exclaimed. The wood dragon rammed through the dome, heading straight for the assailant with Hashirama standing on the dragon, his sword at the ready.

By the time he realized it, Kakuzu wasn't able to dodge the blade. Leaping back, the blade managed to run through his right shoulder. He groaned as a result of the pain. This was a deep cut, unlike the nick on his left shoulder. So this is wood style, huh? Kakuzu processed. If only he knew a bit of fire style, too.

Kakuzu grunted as he threw more kunai, aiming for the enemy. While throwing the kunai, he winced from the pain in his shoulder. Again, he worked through the pain and swung his sword towards Hashirama's neck as a fetal attempt to chop his head off. His shoulder stung but he could care less.

Blocking the kunai thrown at him, he saw the assailant trying to face him head on. Hashirama prolonged the attack and went on the offense, attempting to chop his left arm off. Instead, he managed to only slice through his left shoulder, but only to an extent.

Kakuzu growled from the pain. Great, now both of his shoulders have deep gashes. They even matched perfectly with one another, and so did the pain. In fact, it brought Kakuzu down to one knee. He was losing a lot of blood. That cut must have hit a vital vein or two. However, Hashirama wasn't going to let him die just yet.

Using his wood style, Hashirama trapped Kakuzu by allowing wooden vines to grow from the ground and grip his wrists. Now Kakuzu had no hope of escape. He was done for, or so he thought.

Next thing he knew, Hashirama used his medical ninjutsu to at least stop the bleeding, but that was the only sympathy he was going to show him. He wasn't going to seal those cuts at all. They would be scars to remind Kakuzu of this night. "Tell your superiors to think twice before sending their assassins to kill me, or you can just show them your scars. That should be enough to deliver the message."

Kakuzu couldn't believe this. Why was his enemy, of all people, showing him mercy? He never asked for it, in the first place, and he certainly didn't beg for it either. That's when he thought of that night with Hana.

Flashback: Takigakure – June 6, 1948

Hana slowly backed away and chuckled in fear while holding out one of those deformed treats she had baked, "Hey, you want some?" This was her way of trying to appease the clearly unnerved shinobi before her. Instead of taking her offer, Kakuzu smacked the pastry out of her hand and stepped on it as he approached her. Hana was even more terrified but instead of running, she put up her fists as her last line of defense. "You want some of this, huh?! You may be a giant but I'm not afraid of big bullies like you!"

Kakuzu just cocked a brow down at her as a response to that. He assumed she would just beg and scream for her life, but instead, this was how she reacts? Just to scare her a little, he gripped her by the throat and lifted her off of the ground. The grip wasn't supposed to be too tight, but then again, he didn't exactly know his own strength. Panicking, Hana dropped her basket and started kicking the air whilst clawing at his hand. She even drew a bit of blood. This made Kakuzu's left eye squint a bit, but he had dealt with worse pain. This was only a mere annoyance to him.

"So, are you going to start begging for your life yet?" Kakuzu asked, anticipating it. To his surprise, she didn't. Instead, she shot her leer towards him and kicked harder, finally landing a hit on his gut. Seeing the fire in her eyes, Kakuzu realized at that point that she was a fighter, too. This was the same girl who used her younger siblings as guilt trips for money? Perhaps she changed over the years. Who knows? Either way, he no longer had a reason to hate her.

"Good answer." That was all Kakuzu said before he let her down and walked passed her. He was late, anyways. He had to wash off the blood from the scratches on his hands and not only that. He also had to prepare for the mission tomorrow.

Back to Present Time…

It was a shame. Kakuzu actually admired that brat's spunk. Whoever killed her had to have survived with a few cuts and bruises. She clearly did not go down without putting up a fight, first.

Returning from his subconsciousness, Kakuzu glared up at Hashirama. Hashirama, on the other hand, simply returned the scowl and commented, "I would think you'd be happy to have your life spared."

"Hmph! Don't think that this changes anything! I'll keep coming after you, even if it means I have to—ugh!" Kakuzu howled from the stinging pain. He didn't realize it until now, but he had a third gash. It was located in the center of his midsection and ran straight down to his abdomen. Why didn't he notice it before? The pain from his shoulders must have distracted him from it. That was the only explanation he could think of. The blood was clotted from the medical ninjutsu, but the gash was still deep. "It looks like you're in no position to 'come after me' at this point. Go home and consider this as fair warning." Hashirama suggested before he left.

Kakuzu could only hiss from both the pain and his hatred. He'd return home for now, but he also planned to have his revenge soon enough. It was one thing to injure him, but to insult him with such pity was unforgivable. Now it was his turn to give Hashirama a bit of advice, "You're a fool, Hokage! Leaving your fights unsettled will be your greatest mistake!" However, his enemy was long gone. He probably didn't even hear what he had to say. No matter, Kakuzu's main concern now was his failure. He knew that if the Village Elders ever found out about this disgrace, then surely there would be dire consequences.